The Cyprus issue, British Sovereign Base Areas and the strengthening of bilateral relations were the focus of a meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Tuesday evening.
The talks marked the first one-on-one meeting between the two leaders since Burnham took office.
British Bases and regional security
Addressing the issue of the British Bases, Christodoulides reiterated that the Republic of Cyprus is not participating in any military operation.
He stressed that decisions concerning the Bases should take into account both the security of Cyprus and its population and the Republic’s relations with countries in the wider region.
Christodoulides seeks UK support on Cyprus issue
On the Cyprus issue, Christodoulides briefed Burnham on the latest developments and ongoing efforts to create the conditions for the resumption of substantive negotiations from where they left off and on the basis of the agreed framework.
The president also highlighted the role the United Kingdom could play both as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and as a guarantor power.
In this context, he sought Burnham’s personal support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General to restart the negotiating process.
Progress towards Schengen
Cyprus’ efforts to secure full membership of the Schengen Area were also discussed.
Christodoulides said significant progress had been made towards achieving that objective.
The president also expressed satisfaction with what he described as the growing strategic depth of Cyprus-UK relations in recent years and reiterated Nicosia’s willingness to further strengthen bilateral cooperation.
The two leaders also exchanged views on EU-UK relations and developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider Middle East.
